I'm all aflutter. Could we? Could we? Really?

Are you saying that because I have no clue what you are saying that I get it?

Please do not allow zodiac to cause sorrow. You may write in whatever style you wish and in promotion of whatever opinions you have. I wish, though, that you would reconsider lines like "Baby Jesus, true and sweet," for what they are really saying. I would not like to see you not give up any of your beliefs, but rather think deeply about how you might convey them in meaningful ways to folks who may differ.

I look foreward to seeing your more recent poems. The ones from 1996 must be inferior to what you are writing now.

It's not a language I speak well - love. The kiddieposters are often better at it than I. I think that being close to something makes me a lesser poet at it until the thing settles into some sensible and kind of mysterious solid.

Past tense is better, and I've already done that. I hate posting revisions though.

The last stanze makes such clever use of the God/wad rhyme, that I really deserve a 9 just for that.

As a "typical American" I want unequality, if that means freedom.

Yes, I see what you're saying. When I am strongly emotional about something, it is not easy to find any part of me that is not emotioinal. But I try to pull that observer part aside and let her look impartially at the emotional me. It's not easy, which is why you say that if I am successful, I probably am not realy emotional, but my usual dicotomy of emotion and logic.

All I ask is that you try it next time you feel fully emotioinally involved in something. It takes practice and discipline. I hope you can get past thinking it's impossible.

Sorry you've developed over the years such an attraction to the fiction, -=Dark_Angel=-,P.I., written by at least two people the nature of whom changes from dismal to dismal according to the weather and who seeks only the belittlement of good poets. Fall for it if you will, and maybe it truly represents the characters of its creators. Enjoy.

Thank you.

Yes, we've done this before. I didn't see George, though. Maybe you'll have to paint him a little more in real likeness, or just tell me I'm dim.

Well ok, but you just said you didn't. Whatever. Try a conscious effort at being an observer of yourself next time.

That's not bad, not bad at all. Thanks.

It takes practice. Try it next time you're angry, or elated, or passionate. It really does give different, often humerous, ideas about the situation and about yourself.

I admitted I am not excellent in everything. Why do you say, “DOVINA: I'm excellent.”?

In deference to your sensibilities, I would change one sentence in my response to DA. I would change “Congratulations on your feeling of moral excellence” to “Congratulations on your determination of moral excellence. The next sentence, “You must feel very content in that knowledge.” I would not change.

As for standing apart from my angry self, it takes discipline and practice. You should try it.

I apologize for deleting your comment, zodiac. I accidentally hit the little red x.
Here it is to my recollection:

Zodiac: Would you mind clarifying what you mean be "I observe my emotions"? Do you mean that some part of you which is not, say, angry, looks at the angry part without itself feeling anger? Can you really properly say you're angry in that instance? I would really, genuinely, care to understand, but all I come up with is that you're kind of muddy on the idea of emotions in general. For instance:
-=Dark_Angel=-,P.I.: I judge myself to be excellent.
DOVINA: I'm glad you *FEEL* excellent.
-=Dark_Angel=-,P.I.: You are a guff cozy of rather dim emotions.
DOVINA: I'm excellent.